clair de lune. ( mileven au )

1 | american hogwarts.

( el )

you really don't realize how unnecessary and gaudy gargoyles are until they're on a castle right in front of you. okay, it's not a castle, but it's about as close to it as you can get to one without leaving the united states.

the pictures of this place online really don't do it justice. i mean, this is a lot to take in, and i'm not just talking about the gargoyles. the dark grey stone is stacked up to four stories, the windows are encased in an intricate black trim, and the dark roof is layered with peaks and points. the morning fog only adds to the creepy effect of this place.

i'm supposed to live here for the next year yet i can hardly bring myself to walk toward the entrance, and not just because my bags are weighing me down. the change in altitude doesn't help my already depleted energy.

once i'm right in front of the grand entrance, one of the oversized doors slowly opens. i recognize joyce's face immediately, a tad stunned by how little her face has changed since i last saw her when i was seven.

"oh, el honey! i'm so sorry, i wanted to be here by the time your car arrived. it's just that this morning has already gotten off to a hectic start. there was an altercation between two students at breakfast so, i had some matters i had to attend to," she frantically explains.

her wide, brown eyes soften when i only blink in reply, not sure what exactly to say to my godmother whom i haven't seen in ten years.

i can tell by her face she wants to say something more, do something more. she wants to offer her condolences, or hug me. i've gotten pretty good at identifying that look over the past week, and i'm absolutely sick of condolences and hugs.

i shrug. "it's fine. i managed." her small smile wavers, and i instantly regret my words. i hadn't meant for them to sound so dismissive, but in a way, i had. i didn't want to talk about my mother, not now.

joyce quickly recovers from my dry response. "oh here, let me take your bags! you must be exhausted." the hyper woman makes a grab for my luggage, and i oblige because toting them up the stone steps was enough to tire me out.

she carries them inside, gesturing for me to follow. as soon as i'm inside, the extravagant interior steals my attention from her. okay, maybe this is a castle. my eyes widen, trying to take in the double curved staircases and the intricate framed photos that litter the paneled, deep red walls. i tilt my head up to see the grand chandelier that hands from the high ceiling, offering a dim light in coordination with the light sconces on the walls.

i'm only just beginning to note the oriental burgundy rug beneath my feet when joyce clears her throat. my eyes snap up to find her watching me in amusement.

"is it too creepy?" she asks, glancing over her shoulder at the spacious foyer.

my brows knit. "what?"

"the school. your mother always thought it was creepy," she says, her smile reinforcing at her own words.

her answer only confuses me more. "my mother has been here?" why has my mother been here? i think i would remember if she took a trip to washington, especially if she left me alone. ha, she would never.

joyce seems to join me in my confusion. "yes, didn't she tell you?" she must be able to read the words 'tell me what?' in my facial expression because she explains, "el, your mother went to lunemore. we both did. it's how we met."

my mother went to lunemore? she went to a fancy- ass, creepy castle school, and never thought it was worth mentioning? i'm pretty sure if i passed by this place on a field trip, i would've at least been like, "oh, and we drove past this really scary mansion with big iron gates and gargoyles, too!" maybe that's more telling of how unexciting my life is, but so what.